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December 16, 2010 - 07:50PM

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DARFUR: National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer released the following statement:

The United States is deeply concerned about reports that the Sudanese Armed Forces attacked and burnt the village of Khor Abeche in South Darfur. According to the United Nations, the attacks left many injured, some dead, and thousands displaced. The United States condemns this attack on civilians.

This attack comes at a time that we are also seeing increased evidence of support to militant proxies from the Governments of Sudan and Southern Sudan. All Sudanese leaders have a responsibility to protect civilian populations – to do otherwise is unacceptable. As the January 9, 2011, referendum on the status of Southern Sudan approaches and Sudanese leaders engage in discussions about their future relationship with the international community, the Governments of Sudan and Southern Sudan must accept this fundamental responsibility.

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December 16, 2010 - 04:46PM

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POINT MAN: The White House released this statement after Vice President Biden spoke with Massoud Barzani, the president of Kurdistan's government:

"The Vice President spoke to Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barzani today to discuss progress on government formation talks. The Vice President also extended his congratulations to President Barzani on his re-election as Chairman of the Kurdistan Democratic Party.".

December 16, 2010 - 04:09PM

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SPECIAL THANKS: President Obama thanked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senators Daniel Akaka, Richard Burr and Jim Webb for their efforts to pass a post-9/11 veterans bill on Thursday.

"The President is pleased that the House has joined the Senate to pass the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement. "This bill will expand and improve upon the Post 9/11 GI Bill that went into effect last year and it will simplify and improve benefits in a fiscally responsible way. The President strongly believes that our nation has a sacred trust with our veterans and this act will help those who have served their country. Specifically, the Act will enable veterans to now use their benefit for vocational and on-the-job training, expand eligibility for the benefit to National Guardsmen who are activated for domestic assistance, provide Active Duty troops with additional assistance to purchase books, and provide severely injured veterans and their caregivers with additional time to use their benefits.

"In particular, the President appreciates the efforts of Speaker Pelosi, Chairman Akaka, Ranking Member Burr and Senator Webb for their leadership on this issue. The Administration will work with Congress to continue to improve this important program and better provide assistance to our veterans.".

December 16, 2010 - 01:17PM

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TAKEAWAYS – Here’s what you need to know from Thursday’s White House briefing on Afghanistan with President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and press secretary Robert Gibbs:

-- The White House’s review of the war in Afghanistan shows that its goals are on track, even though the fight is a “very difficult endeavor,” Obama said in his statement.

-- The drawdown of American troops in July will be “conditions based” and “gradual,” and in time, they hopefully will “accelerate,” Gates said. “In terms of what that line looks like beyond July 2011, I think the answer is, we don’t know at this point,” he said.

-- Gates called on Pakistan to “do more to shut down the flow of insurgents across the border,” but he acknowledged that the Pakistanis have stepped up their efforts and are still responding to severe flooding.

-- Obama deserves the credit for bringing attention to repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell,” Gibbs argued. “We would not be at this point if it wasn’t for the president’s leadership in bringing this issue to the forefront,” he said.

-- Clinton and Gates expressed optimism that the Senate would ratify the START deal with Russia. While some Republicans had “legitimate concerns,” Gates said, “frankly, I think they’ve been addressed.”.

December 16, 2010 - 11:38AM

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GIBBS BRIEFS: Asked if there are any conditions that need to take place before President Obama visits Pakistan, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs gives a familiar response: "I don't have scheduling information."

He adds that Obama spoke with Pakistan's leader a few weeks ago and that it probably came up in their call in the last 24 hours. He says the United States has a "very important relationship" with Pakistan.

That's the last question; Gibbs leaves the room. (1:03 p.m.)

Obama, Clinton and Gates, after the jump ...
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FROM THE TOP -- President Obama begins his statement, surrounded by Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and others, by saying he's gotten "weekly updates" on Afghanistan. He thanks Clinton and Gates "for their leadership."

Obama says there are "areas where we need to do better," and he says "this continues to be a very difficult endeavor." But he adds, "I can report, thanks to the extraordinary service of our troops and our civilians on the ground, we are on track to achieve our goals."

"In pursuit of our core goal, we are seeing significant progress," Obama says, adding that Al Qaeda leadership is under more pressure "than at any point." He says senior leaders "have been killed" and that it's "harder for them" to train others and launch attacks. (11:53 a.m.)

The United States military is "in a better position to give our forces in Afghanistan the support and equipment they need to achieve their missions," President Obama says.

He adds that "progress comes slowly" and that it comes at a "high price" for troops. "The gains we've made are still fragile and reversible," he says, adding that "more Afghans are reclaiming their communities." (11:56 p.m.)

Obama says the United States has "sent a clear signal" that American troops will begin to "transition" responsibility in July. "We are moving toward a new phase in Afghanistan," he says, adding that "there is an urgent need for political and economic progress in Afghanistan."

On Pakistan, Obama says he will "work to increase trust" and that the United States is "committed to an enduring partnership."

Wrapping up, he says he and Biden will leave the room as Clinton and Gates take over. He exits as no reporters ask questions. (12:00 p.m.)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton takes the lectern and recalls that a week ago, she met with Richard Holbrooke about the review and the "conclusions to be drawn." She adds, "As many have observed, he was certainly a giant of diplomacy, but he understood the difficulty of the mission he was given."

Clinton says it's "fair to remind us all" that the Obama administration "inherited an extraordinarily difficult situation" in Afghanistan. "There was no coherent strategy" and "no clearly defined mission," she says, adding, "Today, we have a very different story to tell." (12:03 p.m.)

The partnership between the United States and Pakistan is "slowly and steadily improving," Clinton says, "and that is yielding tangible results on the ground."

The United States won't "repeat history," Clinton says. "We will continue to support the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan," she says. (12:05 p.m.)

Speaking next, Defense Secretary Robert Gates adds his condolences to the Holbrooke family. "We at the Department of Defense will miss him," he says.

Moving to the Afghan review, Gates says the country's security forces have grown and are "ahead of schedule." They will continue to improve with the "right training" and support, he says.

Pakistan, Gates says, "can and must do more to shut down the flow of insurgents across the border." He adds that Pakistan has committed troops to the fight and that it is still dealing with the effects of severe flooding. (12:09 p.m.)

The drawdown in July, Gates says, "will be gradual, and it will be based on conditions on the ground."

After a holiday message to troops, in which Gates says he regrets that he has to ask them for more in the "months and years" ahead, it's time for questions. (12:11 p.m.)

Defense Secretary Robert Gates says President Obama "has made clear" that the drawdown of troops in July "will be conditions based."

He adds, "In terms of what that line looks like beyond July 2011, I think the answer is, we don't know at this point." The hope, Gates says, is that drawdowns can "accelerate." (12:13 p.m.)

Gates takes a question about the omnibus bill, which has billions of dollars in earmarks. His response: "I don’t much like the earmarks either. I consider the second engine the poster child of earmarks. But what I have to look at is the alternative to the omnibus. A yearlong continuing resolution would be a gigantic problem for the Department of Defense. First of all, it's a $19 billion cut in the budget, already a ... fourth of the way through the fiscal year. We have very little flexibility to move money around the Pentagon budget without getting congressional approval. ... We have no flexibility in starting any new programs. ... So, a yearlong continuing resolution, as far as I'm concerned, for the Department of Defense, is the worst of all possible worlds. The omnibus is not great, but it beats a yearlong continuing resolution." (12:18 p.m.)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is asked how the Obama administration can wage the war in Afghanistan with little public support. "It's important to remember why we're fighting this war," she says. "We understand the stresses that this war causes for the men and women of the military. And we certainly understand the budgetary demands that are called for."

She adds: "This is critical for our national security. If we had concluded otherwise, we would have made different decisions."

"I'm well aware of the popular concern, and I understand it," she says. "But I don't think leaders, and certainly this president, will make decisions that are a matter of life and death, and certainly national security, based on polling."

Finally: "We will do the best we can ... to avoid making the mistakes that were made in previous years." (12:25 p.m.)

Defense Secretary Robert Gates argues that security gains in Afghanistan "really had to do with the security gains in clearing the Taliban out." The security environment "improves" in some places, like Marja, but "there's a lag," he says.

"This is something that we're focused on," he says. (12:27 p.m.)

The Defense Department has "tried to be realistic in terms of identifying the challenges in addition to the successes" in Afghanistan, Gates says when asked if the administration is "sugar coating" the war. The "main purpose" of the review was "for us to identify those areas where we have concern, where we're not progressive fast enough as it should be," he says.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the administration is "very clear eyed and realistic" about Afghanistan.

She adds that Pakistan has made progress and that the Pakistanis have "maintained a civilian government against all odds." (12:29 p.m.)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton argues that there is a "long list of things" that are working against Al Qaeda that "don't get much coverage."

She says the Afghanistan review has been "very hard nosed."

On the procedural START vote in the Senate, Clinton says she was "encouraged" by it. "We have reason to believe that there is a growing willingness on the Republican side to look at the merits of this treaty," she says. (12:32 p.m.)

Talking more money matters, Defense Secretary Robert Gates contends that the Pentagon's budget has rarely been a "partisan issue." He says members of both parties are supportive, and that the armed services and appropriations committees are "very supportive" of the military.

Making the case for the START deal with Russia, Gates says that while there were "legitimate concerns" among some lawmakers, "frankly, I think they've been addressed." (12:38 p.m.)

Asked about the intelligence community, specifically last year's Christmas Day bomb attempt, Clinton looks at Gibbs and says he can answer the question, prompting some laughter among the press corps. Gibbs says the administration is "taking all the steps that are necessary to ensure that we're doing all we can" to keep people safe.

Asked for any reaction on the order freeing Julian Assange on bail, Gibbs steps back and says no one's going to take that question. (12:40 p.m.)

Stepping in to answer a question, Gen. James Cartwright describes a difference between efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan: In Afghanistan, "we have the advantage ... of having boots on the ground," he says. That way, the military can "defeat, rather than disrupt," militants. Cartwright says that "has to be done in partnership in Pakistan," even if those boots aren't American ones.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates says Pakistan is "coming to have a better understanding of the threat that is posed to them by the syndicate of terrorists." He adds, "I think that the degree of cooperation and bilateral cooperation on both sides of the border is a manifestation." (12:49 p.m.)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the United States is "working closely with a number of parties to explore ways" of reaching "reconciliation" in Afghanistan.

She stresses, though, that the strategy "has to be Afghan led."

With that, Clinton, Gates and Cartwright exit, leaving Gibbs to fend for himself. His first question is on the omnibus bill with earmarks: He says the administration would prefer that the bill doesn't include earmarks. Gibbs won't say whether President Obama would sign the bill as is.

"I would wait to see what the final bill looked like," he says. "Our preference would be none. ... At the same time ... we understand it is not perfect, but it is what it is -- what the leaders in their important departments ... have said what is necessary." (12:53 p.m.)

Taking some leftover questions on the Afghanistan review, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs says the administration isn't ignoring "challenges" in taking territory from the Taliban.

"As we've seen gains, we understand that many challenges are apparently and still have to and will be dealt with," he says. (12:56 p.m.)

Asked why President Obama doesn't make a live statement on repealing "don't ask, don't tell" soon, Gibbs argues that "on every chance that he's been asked about this, he has talked about" the policy.

"Let's be clear," Gibbs adds. "We would not be at this point if it wasn't for the president's leadership in bringing this issue to the forefront." (1:00 p.m.)

December 16, 2010 - 09:55AM

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LEND YOU MY EAR: President Obama promised American Indians on Thursday that he’ll listen to their requests for how to make their lives better, as he argued that advancements in health care and education have helped them.

“I want to hear more from you about how we can strengthen the relationship between our governments,” Obama said at the White House Tribal Nations Conference.

The new health care law will let Indian tribes buy health insurance for their employees in an easier way, Obama said. He also promised to work to curb the high school dropout rate for Native Americans, calling it a “heartbreaking waste of human potential.”

“We cannot afford to squander the promise of our young people,” he said. “We are going to start doing something about it.”.

December 16, 2010 - 05:13AM

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IN THE BRIEFING ROOM: President Obama is set to release his administration's review of the war in Afghanistan on Thursday. The White House says Obama will speak to reporters in the briefing room in the late morning; no word on whether he'll take questions, but Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates will follow up with reporters afterward. Vice President Biden will be there to watch Obama, the White House says.

POLITICO's Gordon Lubold reports that the review touts progress in some areas, particularly in southern Afghanistan, but portrays those achievements as "fragile." From the review: “While the momentum achieved by the Taliban in recent years has been arrested in much of the country and reversed in some key areas, these gains remain fragile and reversible. ... Consolidating those gains will require that we make more progress with Pakistan to eliminate sanctuaries for violent extremist networks.”.